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AN unmarried Scots actress is at the centre of a national scandal in Thailand after revealing that she is pregnant.
Kathaleeya McIntosh, 33, has been forced to leave the country where until recently she was regarded as one of its leading stars, appearing in a host of television soaps.

News of her pregnancy has outraged her legions of fans — in Thailand, woman are expected to maintain their “virtue” until they are married.

McIntosh was forced to convene a press conference amid growing speculation about her weight gain — initially blamed on an adverse reaction to a herbal remedy — and a relentless campaign by tabloid journalists.

When she revealed that she was five months’ pregnant, a newspaper columnist shouted “I hate you&#33;” and one of Bangkok’s most popular websites crashed as people clamoured to log on and read her full statement. Television and radio programmes cleared their schedules of Hurricane Katrina and Iraq to devote air time to her.

The backlash has been so bad that McIntosh and her Thai boyfriend Songran Krajannet, a 30-year-old property dealer, have fled to Detroit to stay with relatives until the baby is born.

McIntosh’s appearances in top-rated soap operas including the bizarrely named The Pork Vendor’s Daughter and The Spell of Country Music have seen her popularity soar.

Her roles — typically a virtuous leading lady pursued by a hero who is thwarted at every turn by a cast of villains — have gripped audiences.

She was even appointed the country’s Unicef envoy. However, the backlash is now threatening her career.

It is thought that McIntosh had decided against talking publicly about her pregnancy while she grieved for William, her Scots father.